Encouragement
I wanted to take a few minutes to let you know how much Uptown Bills has made a positive influence on my life.
When I finally became aware of what had happened to me after my brain injury, I was at a loss to know what my future life would be. I knew I had a wonderful family, good friends and strong faith which were still with me, but due to memory loss and a need to relearn many things after nearly dying, I was at a loss as to how to move on with life. Thanks to many good people in the brain injury prevention and its partners, I was put back on the path of work and everyday activities. One of the things that helped encourage me to keep up with rehabilitation was the opportunity to meet with fellow survivors, share experiences and make new friends who truly understood what I was going through. I look forward to meeting with my new friends at uptown bills. It’s such a simple thing to meet in a nice place, but it would not be an understatement to say that it is saving lives.
It’s difficult to put it in to so many words but I hope my small voice may help those in a position to support Uptown Bills and help you continue to provide a safe and happy space for groups like ours and others who use the space. It’s a small thing but provides great rewards. The return on investment for keeping Uptown Bills working is impossible to account for by traditional means. Just take a picture of the smiling faces of those who attend and feel their good emotions.
Don’t hesitate to let me know how I might help to keep this resource vibrant in Iowa City. Looking forward to seeing you again.h
Douglas Beardsley, MPH
Former Director of Public Health, Johnson County
Grateful For Bill’s
As a recovering alcoholic, I am extremely grateful to Uptown Bill’s Coffee Shop and its sponsoring Extend-A-Dream Foundation for providing much-needed space for the many recovery groups that regularly meet there. Regular meetings play an essential role in the ongoing recovery of recovering alcoholics and addicts; we need a safe, dependable place to meet daily and for over 30 years, Bill’s has been providing that space.
Not only does Bill’s provide the space, the management and Board have been sensitive to our special needs and have bent over backwards to help meet them. While we pay some rent, our recovery groups are dependent on the meager donations of our members and can’t afford to pay market rates for downtown locations. The Board has worked with us to allow us to pay what we can afford to pay. Jason even comes down to open up for us on holidays, including Christmas, New Year’s, and Thanksgiving — even though those meetings might be small, Jason realizes that they are very important to some of our members and he is willing to sacrifice his own family time to accommodate them.
If we didn’t have Uptown Bill’s Coffee Shop, I seriously don’t know where we could find another place to meet daily that is near downtown (necessary for some of our members who walk), has adequate parking, and charges the rent that we can afford. The fact that Bill’s is so accommodating to our special needs and that our members can purchase coffee and food at reasonable rate are extra bonuses we have become dependent upon.
So THANK YOU Bill’s and the Extend-A-Dream Foundation for meeting the needs of the recovery community and doing it so graciously!
George P.
Bill Sackter
I never knew him
He inspired many
In his life
He has a cool
Safe space
Music without the dance
Uptown Bill’s
A safe haven
No judgement
No bad vibes
Just Safe
Allison Roberts
